Season 4, Episode 10, “Happy”

One of the most unpleasant aspects of watching a mediocre season of a show like Fargo– a series that holds its cards close to the waistcoat, creating tension by suggesting anything can happen while promising us that it will all come together in the end – is the slowly running out hope that ultimately history will find out how to justify oneself . Anytime something is confusing or goes in a direction that doesn’t make a lot of sense, every time a character interaction winds its way instead of going for the gut, you’re like, “Ah, but clearly, they are just biding their time. Obviously, this is all exactly what it is meant to be. But the longer the wait, the harder it is to fully believe it. After a while, you have to accept that no turning point in history can completely make up for everything that came before it.

FargoThe fourth season of (not terrible, still very enjoyable to watch and listen to, but hampered by a lack of focus and uneven overall) passed that point an episode or two ago, which makes “Happy”, can – being the best starter of the season so far, a little bittersweet. In the end, Ethelrida does her most daring piece to date; several plots finally converging in a significant way; and a clarification of the cast deep enough that (unless Hawley decides to bring in a bus full of new people next week), it’s more or less guaranteed that the finale will spend its time on people that we’re genuinely interested in. It’s tempting to look back and say ‘Oh, clearly they were playing the long game here’, but I don’t think that’s true. There is just too much glitter, too much twist and too little time spent building the most interesting aspects of the season, for it to get a pass.

And it’s not like “Happy” is a complete win, either. We see the end of the Odis story here, and while there are some immediate and unintended consequences, I’m still not sure this character was ever convincing enough to warrant the screen time. Yes, his decision to go over to Loy’s side and shoot Deafy and Swanee was momentous, as was the fact that Gaetano manages to trip and shoot himself in the head right after executing the poor sap, but in terms of who he really was … does Odis’ contraction and need for control really mean a lot to the big ostensible themes of the season? And is “turncoat with a tragic backstory” so inherently fascinating that it’s automatically worth watching?

I don’t think so for either of the two. And it’s just weird to watch it all play out in “Happy,” because there is no intelligence, no reversal of expectations (except, of course, for Gaetano’s abrupt exit; an exit which has nothing to do with Odis itself, other than proximity). For a while, Odis worked with the Faddas; then Loy threatened him, so he went to Loy; and when he raids Josto’s house in the middle of dinner, Josto swears revenge and, a few days later, gets it. Odis has no plan to escape. There might be a suggestion towards the end that he finally finds some peace in death, and the streak where he comes home to find his apartment ransacked and the walls closing is shot very well. Huston is also a good actor. That’s right, there’s no reason to say anything. It turns out as you expected, and if that was meant to be the goal, surely it could have accomplished the same in less time.

As for Gaetano’s unexpected exit, well, it was definitely unexpected. I don’t know exactly what to think of it. It is an indisputable subversion of expectations; after spending the entire season building Gaetano like a bad-ass, bringing him out with his own hand in a moderate moment of triumph is a shock. I don’t think I will miss him much either. But it’s just such a silly outing that it borders on being too blatantly random. It is not that it is implausible that he would trip, exactly, although it is relatively unlikely that he tripped in such a way as to immediately shoot himself in the head; part of the purpose of scenes like this is to remind us that life is often weird and haphazard and weird unlike stories, where everything happens for a reason. But it’s possible to play this card too late in the game or too often, and this scene looks a bit like both. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of pressure this puts on Josto, now that the family’s muscle is gone, and there’s some pathos in it, especially since the two brothers were friends again. And I don’t know, maybe it highlights the emptiness of Gaetano’s bravado or something like that. But it seems more annoying than anything else.

Now that I’ve spent half of what was supposed to be a positive review being entirely negative: ‘Happy’ at last, finally brings Ethelrida back to the forefront, making her again the main character of the narrative in her endeavors. to save his family from Loy’s clutches (and perhaps see some rough justice served in the process). It turns out that she was not entirely satisfied with sending a letter to Doctor Harvard regarding Oraetta’s crimes, and decided to do more research at the library, where she discovered the origins of this ring that ‘she stole from Oraetta’s murder closet so long ago. At the end of the episode, she visits Loy and introduces him to things: not only have his parents paid off the loan that Loy has long given them, but she also has the means for him to end the war with the Faddas, a means that Loy cannot refuse.

I’m not sure exactly why knowing who really killed Donatella Fadda is going to fix all of this; Guess Loy can offer the information in exchange for a deal to end the fighting? (Although this is a cessation of hostilities, not a victory.) But whatever, I’m interested in seeing how it goes, as the episode does a good job of both reminding us of Ethelrida’s ingenuity and by establishing Loy’s desperation. The title of the episode, “Happy,” refers to a nickname for the crime boss Loy turns to for help, a boss who isn’t too happy with the way Loy treated his nephew. (from Happy) Leon a few starters. After agreeing to provide Loy with the extra muscle he needs against the Faddas, Happy then has a reunion with his nephew and Josto, preparing to betray Loy and install Leon in his place.

It would have been nice if these machinations had been spread out a bit better, and if more time had been spent showing Loy losing his grip on gang warfare, but it’s still nice to watch this game play out, because it does. gives us clear stakes. on the way to the final. And that’s not the only scenario that ultimately decides to wake up and get serious. The confrontation between Oraetta and Ethelrida on the Smutny Porch is formidable, putting aside any pretense of politeness and letting Oraetta’s sense of outrage grow until she decides to get proactive and sneak into the house. Smutny after dark. She has a syringe with her, and the only thing stopping her from getting revenge is a sudden appearance of the ghost that has occasionally haunted throughout the season, a ghost whose origins we only learned a few scenes earlier.

It’s not clear exactly how the Roach (as in Theodore Roach, the captain of a slave ship that one of Ethelrida’s ancestors killed) comes into play in all of this, and I don’t know what it means to seeing him seem to protect Ethelrida – my best I guess he showed up to watch her get killed and inadvertently got in the way when Oraetta, in her madness, could sense her presence. Or maybe he thwarted Oraetta because there is something worse to come for the Smutny family, a final overwhelming irony after Ethelrida, who is brilliant, brave and true, saves the day. All I know for sure is that I feel like it was all intentional in a way that hasn’t always been present this season. The same goes for Oraetta who comes home to find the cops waiting for her; like Gaetano’s sudden exit, it’s a subversion of expectations, but it’s the one that was built and, given Ethelrida’s conversation with Loy, it’s not like Oraetta is definitely out of it. history.

This could all fall apart again next week, but “Happy” has more momentum than the series has managed to create in a while, and, though foolishly, I once again have hope that this is heading for something worth watching. It doesn’t make up for the writing inequalities over the rest of the season, but it at least keeps the last few weeks from spilling on the way to the finish line, and for that I’m grateful.

Wandering observations

• I have the idea of ​​wanting to create a sense of mystery, but I can’t help but wonder if Dibrell’s monologue on Roach would have been more useful earlier. It’s a good story, and I wish I had spent more time exploring how long the ghost has been following Dibrell and his family.
• We check with Satchel a bit; he wipes a bottle of milk on a porch and scares a racist couple into a truck with the gun the rabbi gave him. I’m glad the last episode wasn’t the last we’ve seen of him, as his story would have felt incomplete. As it stands, I bet it will appear in the finale.
• Josto’s potential dumb stepfather shows up to tell Josto that the marriage is over and to throw in some anti-Italian racism. Gaetano hits him, which is satisfying.
• “How does it feel to be so fair and know that no one cares?” (Oraetta gets caught because Doctor Harvard failed to die underlines how botched her attempt to assassinate him was. The idea that Ethelrida’s anonymous letter shook her so much that she took a badly considered chance?)
• Zelmare is still alive, and with Odis dead, she cannot avenge Swanee’s death. Maybe she’ll go after Loy.

• Does Gaetano’s death refer to a similar accidental gunshot in a Coen brothers film? I can’t think of a single one; the closest that comes to my mind is a scene Burn after reading, but it is not self-inflicted in the literal sense of the word.